Process for extracting light liquefiable hydrocarbons from natural gas.



V E. D. KENDALL.

PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING LIGHT LIQUEFIABLE HYDROCARBONS FROM NATURAL GAS.

APPLICATION FILED 050.4,1912.

1,192,529.. Patented Ju1y'25,.1916.

WIT/VE88E8 i INVENTOR ATTORMEY 4: s ratus Pa EDWARD D. KENDALL, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNQR 0F ONE-THIRD TO THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM A. MEGRATH, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AND ONE-THIRD TO LOUIS 'I. HAGGIN, 0F CLOSTEE, NEW JERSEY, MARGARET V. HAGGIN AND ALLAN McCULLOI-I, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND H.

ESK MULLER, OF MONTCLAIR, NEW JER- SEY, EXECUTORS 0F JAMES B. HAGGIN, DECEASED.

PROCESS FOR EXTRAOTING LIGHT LIQUEEIABLE HYDROCARBONS FROM NATURAL GAS.

messes.

Specification oi Letters Patent. I

Patented July 25, i916.

Application filed December l, 1912. Serial No. 784;,816.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, EDWARD D. KENDALL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Elizabeth, Union county, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for EX- tracting Light Liquefiable Hydrocarbons from liatural Gas, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to processes of separating so called natural gas gasolene from natural gas and the object thereof is to provide a simple, continuous and eiiicient process for that purpose.

In this specification I will use the Word gasolene to include all liquefiable hydrocarbons contained in natural gas or accompanying the same as vapors.

My process consists in spraying cold liquid hydrocarbon, preferably heavier than gasolene, with currents of natural gas, under its natural pressure, or after compression by mechanical means, the said natural gas withthe sprayed said heavier hydrocarbon in sprayed condition passin into a suitable receptacle adapted, with its appurtenances, to facilitate separation of the particles of the said heavier hydrocarbon, with the gasolene which it has abstracted and absorbed from the natural gas with which it has been in such intimate contact. When the said. heavier hydrocarbon is oil refinery naphtha, it may not be required to separate the gasolene therefrom (because such a mixture is available for use as fuel for internal combustion engines); if it be a so-called distillate (crude kerosene) or a still heavier product of distillation, the gasolene may be obtained therefrom by a special distilling operation; if it be crude petroleum the gasolene may accompany the same through pipe-lines to the rirnary stills, to be recovered among the rst products of the distillation.

I do not confine myself to any particular form of apparatus for carrying out my process, a suitable apparatus is 1llustrated,

in the accompanying drawings, in which:

F1gure 1 is a horizontal section. Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing the same reference character 1ndicates the same part in the several views. a The part marked 20 represents a long cylinder closed at each end, 21, 22, the bottom 23, belng inclined toward its outlet end 22.

Extending through the end 21 is a pipe 24,

having on the inner end thereof a spray nozzle 25. Projecting through the side of the cylinder adjacent to the end 21, is a short pipe 26, having on the inner end thereof a nozzle 27. Connected to the pipe 26 is a header 30, and 31 is a valve in said pipe 26. Lying above the header 30 is another header 32. Secured to the latter header on the upper side thereofare a series of pipes 33. Extending through these pipes 33 and through the headers 32, and connected to the upper side of the header 30, are a series of pipes 34, the diameter of these latter pipes being much less than the diameter of the pipes 33,'s0 as to leave a space between the Walls of said pipe. Secured to the header 32, are one or more outlet pipes 35. Connected to the lower surface of the cylinder 20, just inside the head or end 22, is a charm ber 40, provided with a series of baiile plates 41. Located in this chamber and above said battles are screens 42 and 43, slightly separated, the mesh in the screen l2 being somewhat closer than in the lower mesh 43. These screens are preferably of large area and to prevent them from sagging they may be strengthened or provided with cross wires or stays 44c and 415. While I have shown these screens made of Wire mesh, they may be made of bolting cloth or any other suitable material. The chamber 4:0 is connected near one end to the chamber or cylinder 46,

' Y 'ing through said pipes 34 and into the I '33, into the header 30, and through the outand has an outlet pipe 48 and a draw-off pipe 49, the valve.- v In operation, liquid hydrocarbon is suplatter being provided with a plied to theheader '30, throughthe pipes 34. e

The temperature of'the 'hy rocarbon passheader iskept low by a cooling or refrigerating agent. This may be accomplished by circulating cold water through the pipes I let pipe 35. Natural gas, under pressure, containing gasolene is forced" through the pipe 24,.into the nozzle 25.. As this gas escapes from the nozzle it comes in contact jwith the liquid hydrocarbon passing out of the nozzle 24 and sprays said hydrocarbon into a fine mist into the chamber 20, where a the particles of gasolene contained in the .the heavier hydrocarbons.

natural. gas are taken up by the particles of The gas and sprayed mist are forced through the chamber 20, and some of said sprayed mist formed of particles of hydrocarbon and the sprayed gasolene settles at the bottom 23, of the chamber 20, and trickles down through the openings 28, the rest of said particles being caught upon the screens and on the bafiics 41, where they condense and coalesce and run down into the chamber 46, the gas passing under and over the baflles and escaping through the pipe 48. Any of the fine particles of the liquid hydrocarbon or gasolene that have not been separated b the screens 42, 43, and the bafiles 41, wil lodge upon the baffies 47. The gasolene s eparatedand extracted from the natural gas and the heavy hydrocarbons carrying the said gasoi lens in the tank 46, are withdrawn through the pipe 49 andiconv'eyed to a suitable receptacle from which the mixture may used as'collected, or may be refined by d1stillation.

Having now describedjmy invention, what I claim as new and desire'to secure by Let ters Patent is: 'o I 1. The process of extracting gasolene fromnatural gas containing gasolene, which consists in subjecting liquid hydrocarbons heavier than gasolene and at a lower temperature to a current of said natural gas, whereby the separatedpa'rticles of hydrocarbons and gasolene will be mixed, causing'the particles of hydrocarbons and gaso-v lene to pass through restricted passages to promote their coalescence, collecting the ooalesced particles and separating the gas f a from the coalesced particles.

2. The process, of extracting gasolene from natural gas containing said gasolene, which consists, in subjecting liquid hydrocarbons heavier than" said gasolene and at a lower temperature toa current of said natural gas whereby the sprayed particles EDWARD KENDALL.

In presence of- ISABEL R. RICHARDS, AGNES C. OCoNNnLL. 

